Suspicious Individual (Rewrite)

[: 3rd POV :]

"You're...the...Sect Leader of the Heavenly Harem Sect?"

Zuke raised his eyebrow in questioning.

He had never heard of the sect called the 'Heavenly Harem Sect,' and it sounded more like an unorthodox sect rather than a genuine one.

With that, his perspective on Daniel went down.

Moreover, upon hearing the word 'Harem,' he had an idea of what it was about.

Throughout his life, he had never seen a young man, perhaps in his mid-twenties, being a sect leader.

With all these thoughts, Zuke believed Daniel was a con man.

Nevertheless, he never revealed his thoughts.

After all, he had given him 10 Purple Spiritual Stones, and that meant something.

"That's right," Daniel nodded his head, aware of what Zuke might be thinking.

"I see, then, is your visit to the City of Cetra related to your sect?" Zuke squinted his eyes and asked.

"That's right," Daniel replied with the same words, this time accompanied by a smile.

"I see. Then, I wish the best of luck for the young master recruitment," Zuke said.

It was easy for him to deduce that Daniel's sect was just a third-rate sect that nobody knew about.

After all, if he were a prestigious cultivator with an awfully terrifying background, he wouldn't choose a low-ranked city like Cetra to recruit.

If Daniel planned to recruit in that city, it meant he was nothing more than just a nobody trying his luck.

Afterwards, there was only silence between them for the next few minutes, but despite the treatment, Daniel smiled.

"Is the young master a cultivator...?"

In the silence, Elizabeth, unable to contain her curiosity, couldn't help but question with a peeking look.

"Naturally, I am," Daniel nodded his head gently.

At the same time, Zuke raised his eyebrow, wondering what his daughter was about to do.

"Then, do you think I can cultivate...?"

Elizabeth fidgeted with her hand, showing her nervousness and uncertainty.

Even though she knew that she didn't have a Spiritual Root and couldn't cultivate, she was desperate for the chance to be one.

Daniel could anticipate what she wanted to hear, but he didn't want to fool her.

Hence, he confronted her with the truth.

"No, you can't,"

He shook his head, and her body trembled.

"As I expected..."

Tears formed in her eyes, and her expression was full of despair.

On the other hand, Zuke didn't appreciate how Daniel had hurt his daughter.

Even though he knew the truth, he didn't want to add salt to the wounds.

But before he could confront him, Daniel's words continued.

"But that doesn't mean it's impossible for you to cultivate," he smiled.

Elizabeth, brought to despair, looked at him with hope.

"Really...? Is that... true?"

She was full of hope, but at the same time, she couldn't believe that she could cultivate.

"Young man... there's no need to comfort with a lie."

Although Zuke appreciated that Daniel was comforting his daughter, he disagreed with how he was feeding her a lie.

"I'm not lying; that's the truth," Daniel said.

"But without a spiritual root, one couldn't start cultivating," Zuke remarked.

He had been searching for specialists, alchemists, or even treasures that could help Elizabeth manifest a spiritual root.

Yet, all of his attempts had failed.

"You're right. Without a spiritual root, one couldn't cultivate," Daniel said.

Elizabeth's despair deepened at his words.

"Then... why?" Even Zuke was now confused by Daniel's words.

He wasn't sure whether Daniel's purpose was to give hope or despair to his daughter.

He had a hard time understanding that.

"But who said spiritual roots can't be made?" Daniel smirked.

"What!?"

Zuke immediately widened his eyes at that claim.

"It's impossible! There's no way spiritual roots can be made!" Zuke exclaimed.

He didn't know whether Daniel was insane to make such a claim.

After all, he had never heard of someone creating a spiritual root before.

Moreover, it defies the will of the heavens, as spiritual roots are determined by birth.

Hence, creating a spiritual root is the same as rebelling against the heavens.

In that sense, he believed Daniel was an insane man.

"I'm not lying, and it's the truth," Daniel shrugged his shoulders.

He didn't care whether or not they believed him, and his aim was Elizabeth.

But before Zuke could speak out, the carriage halted once more.

"What's going on? Why did the carriage stop?"

Zuke immediately shouted, and he was in a bad mood due to Daniel.

"Patriarch, we encounter an issue!" The guard reported anxiously.

His face was full of sweat, and it felt like he had met the reaper of death itself.

"Why? What's going on?"

He questioned, and he could sense something unusual going on.

"T-There's a pack of Flame Lions right in front of us!"

The guard pointed his finger towards where the Flame Lions are.

"Flame Lions!?"

Zuke was startled by the news, and at the same time, he was troubled by it.

"Why now, of all times?"

He clenched his fist since Flame Lions are dangerous beasts, especially when they were in the middle of the forest where he lacked manpower.

"What do we do, Patriarch? If we don't cross this route, we can't return. Moreover, this is the safest route, and other routes have been blocked by beasts," the guard reported.

"Then... we have no choice. If we don't cross it, we can't return," Zuke declared.

"Prepare for the fight, and take my armor out," he ordered.

"Yes, Patriarch!"

Immediately, the guard went to the others to relay the news, and all of them had prepared the Patriarch's armors.

"Father, what's going on?" Elizabeth questioned concernedly.

"Nothing. There's no need to worry. We just encountered some beasts, and we need to remove them from our way,"

Zuke explained without detailing how dangerous it was to confront a pack of Flame Lions.

"How about I join you all?" Daniel spoke out.

"Young master, it would be rude for us if we involve our passengers in a fight that doesn't involve them," Zuke said.

Despite his suspicion of Daniel, he didn't want him to get involved in a fight with them.

They could die, and he didn't want that to happen to him.

Moreover, he could sense that Daniel was rather a kind man despite his ridiculous claims.